Inspired by Gruber, who was rocking the Nokia freebiephone, on the eve of the original iPhone’s 2nd birthday, we want to know:

What were you using before the iPhone?

(I was on a Treo 680 that crashed almost as often as it successfully made or received calls).

Update: Jeremy reminds me we have a huge thread on the TiPb Forums about this as well. Love. Up.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

What Were You Using Before the iPhone?

With the return of Steve Jobs to Apple comes the return of Fake Steve to the interwebs. Fake Steve also returns to being bitingly satirical, something that had been lacking before its own hiatus. Recent gems include the excoriation of the New York Times, and lambasting Palm (twice) for focusing on Apple rather than the Pre in their own advertisements:

Do you remember what the ads for the original iPhone looked like? You remember seeing anything in those ads about the BlackBerry or the Treo? No. It was a whole new thing — sui generis, as the French say. It had to be. If all we could do was to make a slightly less s****y BlackBerry, and offer it for a few bucks less than what RIM was charging, we would not have bothered to make the product.

(Though he may be reaching in his claims of just how far Jon Rubinstein will go to be like “him”.)

If you’re easily offended, stay clear. Otherwise, enjoy it while it lasts…

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Fake Steve Also Returns

I recently tried out a friend’s battery charger case and my iPhone 3GS began to buzz and flash between locked, wallpaper, and temperature warning screens.

Not to be all Wall Street Journal about it, but according to sources in a position to know, this is not an uncommon problem and Apple is set to address it in the next firmware update, which should be coming soon — 3.1.

3.1 you ask? It’s what we asked as well, and were told the iPhone 3GS is already running what’s considered 3.0.1 and the next update would likely be 3.1 (though 3.0.2 or an “official” cross device 3.0.1 still sounds more like as a bug fix release to us).

Consider it a rumor for now, but at the very least, if your charging case is giving you headaches, rest assured help is on the way.

(And it’s recommended you don’t use it until the problem is addressed).

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Rumor: iPhone 3.0.1 Already on iPhone 3GS. iPhone 3.1 to Fix Bugs, Battery Charger Problems?

Welcome back.

“Steve Jobs is back to work. He is at Apple a few days a week and working from home the other days,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said. “We’re glad to have him back.”

[via CNN]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Steve Jobs Returns

UPDATE: Engadget is reporting micro-USB vs. the BBC’s mini-USB. Also, that Apple, among others, is backing the standard.

ORIGINAL: We’ve discussed this before, but now it looks like Europe has gone ahead and done it. Mini-USB is going to be the “one size fits all” universal charging standard for phones. The caveat:

The deal isn’t legally binding though and, at this stage, is only voluntary.

Translation: Apple’s 30-pin dock connector likely isn’t going any place, any time soon.

Are we happy about this? Are we wondering why it wasn’t micro-USB? Or do we really not care one way or another about it at this point?

[via the BBC, thanks sambell for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

UPDATED: European Union: One Phone Charger Shall Rule them All

Nothing makes people more paranoid than a shiny new gadget, especially if it’s an expensive-to-replace shiny new iPhone 3GS gadget fresh from Apple. Cases can’t work miracles, but they can go a long way towards helping you avoid dust and dirt, nicks and scratches, and — depending on how hardcore you go — cracks and breaks. Oh, and they can also stylize your iPhone beyond Apple’s iconic black and white, if that’s how you want to roll.

We’ll be rounding up some accessories for new iPhone owners in the coming days, and because we’re just as paranoid, we’re starting with cases.

Luxury Leather: Sena Elega Case

Jeremy loves the Sena Elega Pouch Case ($39.95 - TiPb Store link). Napa leather on the outside, velvet on the inside, with shock-absorbing padding and a belt clip, this top loader also has cut-outs so your speakers don’t get muffled when listening with the case on.

Get a Grip: Seidio Innocase II

Dieter still likes the grippy goodness of the Seidio Innocase II [$29.95 - TiPb Store link] because, let’s face it, the plastic backing of the iPhone 3GS might not blend, but it doesn’t exactly stick to the hand either. With a soft-touch, “rubberized” finish, and ultra-slim profile, the Innocase II provides just enough protection without getting in your way about it.

Layered Protection: OtterBox Defender

Casey called this one protection without compromise, and certainly if you need to keep your iPhone 3GS safe come rain or shine (light rain, not the pool!), Otterbox Defender [$44.95 - TiPb Store link] brings it like armor. Rather than chain and plate, however, a polycarbonate sheet covers the screen, a polycarbonate skeleton provides crush-protection, and a silicone skin finishes off the impact-proofing.

Charge and Go: Mophie Juice Pack

James still won’t leave home without the Mophie Juice Pack ($99.95 - TiPb Store link). What with push notification, video shooting and sharing, and faster, better processors, the iPhone 3GS is even harder to put down, and that means even harder to keep charged. If you need a case, and want to keep going, and going Mophie Juice Pack can give you 6 additional hours of 3G talk time and 8 hours of video watching.

More than Skin Deep: BodyGuardz

If you want some of the protection but none of the look or bulk of a case — high-tech applications to the rescue! Made from the same material that is used to protect the front of automobiles from stones and other abrasive elements, BodyGuardz [$24.99 - TiPb store link] is transparent, tough, and come two to a box should you need to protect more than one iPhone, or want a spare just in case.

Conclusion

From almost not-there, to full on hasmet suit-like coverage, from clear to colorful, if you want a case to protect or pretty up your iPhone 3GS, there’s a wide variety of forms and fashions to fit your needs.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Top 5 Cases for the iPhone 3GS - TiPb Picks

Got mad developer skills and a deep, enabling love for smartphones and their communities? Well, Smartphone Experts, the network behind theiphoneblog.com and many of your other favorites like CrackBerry.com, PreCentral.net, and a host of others, is looking for YOU!

For more info, check out Dieter’s post in the forums.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Smartphone Experts is Looking for a Developer!

Love them or hate them, miracle or menace, Emoji are standard message elements in Japan and have caught some favor among internet iPhone users (and TiPb Forum staff…)

The problem, however, is that there’s currently no standard way to encode the little mega-smileys across different carriers and platforms, leading to a lot of “translation” work in between. The solution?

engineers from Google and Apple have got together to try to propose an encoding for these emoji (they have identified 674 of them!) that can be added to the official standard ISO/IEC 10646, as can be seen in this document, Proposal for Encoding Emoji Symbols.

Maybe next Apple could work on not requiring complex, app-bound Emoji activation processes for non-Japanese iPhones? Sumo, tiny red cars, and weirdly smiling brown piles for everyone!

[Via What Japan Thinks, thanks Georgia for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Apple and Google Propose Standardized Encoding for… Emoji!

Some of you on the TiPb Forums have shown some concern over Nelson and the iPhone 3GS tour video. Our question is — what ever happened to iPhone Bob?

Bob Borchers, if you weren’t familiar with the name, starred in the original iPhone and iPhone 3G tour videos on the Apple website.

Well it pains me to say this but according to the WSJ Bob has left Apple to join venture-capital firm, Opus Capital.

Bob, a former executive at Nokia, Nike, and Apple (since 2004, working on the iPod and iPhone) said he enjoyed his time with Apple but the venture capitalists at Opus have given him an opportunity he simply could not pass up.

TiPb and many of your fans will miss you greatly! (It’s really a shame you can’t take Nelson with you…)

Good luck Bob!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

A Farewell to iPhone Bob

Either an iPhone 3GS was dropped in a pool and kept on recording, or as Richard Lai demonstrates in this second video [NSFW-L] someone was smart enough to cover it in plastic wrap first.

You can decide for yourselves, but we’re not letting our iPhone’s anywhere near water without full deep sea gear and a mini sub…

[Thanks everyone who sent this in!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Monday Fun Video: Aqua iPhone or Human Farce?